Great Stories Begin Inside the Exam Room

AT REACH OUT AND READ, BOOKS ARE THE FIRST STEP ON A CHILD’S PATH TO SUCCESS

Our powerful message extends far beyond the pediatric exam room, creating a positive influence on growing minds that lasts a lifetime. The stories of our children, families, pediatricians, and partners are perhaps the most important measure of our collective impact.

View videos from our doctors about what Reach Out and Read means to them and their patients.

Jaime McKinney, MD, FAAP, Medical CoordinatorUAB Primary Care Clinic

Affiliated with University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics and Children’s of Alabama, UAB Primary Care Clinic is a general pediatrics clinic with doctors, nurses, and other staff specifically trained to care for anyone from birth to 18 years old. This clinic was one of the first Reach Out and Read program sites in the United States. Prescribing over 71,000 books since 1997, pediatric residents and staff have had the opportunity to impact the lives of the children and families, many of them from lower socio-economic situations, through the gift of a book with instructions to parents about the link between brain development and reading.

Naresh Purohit, MD, FAAP, Medical CoordinatorPurohit Pediatric Clinic

Naresh Purohit, M.D., F.A.A.P. is the medical consultant for the Reach Out and Read-Alabama program at Purohit Pediatric Clinic, one of three program sites in Calhoun County.

"Prescribing a book to children establishes a bond between the child and the parents by encouraging parents to be involved with their children through books and reading on a regular basis. It also encourages the parents to develop a healthy habit of reading every night to their child instead of engaging in other habits such as watching television. I have seen an 'aha' moment with proud parents as they share the stories of reading together at subsequent visits after prescribing a book. They also witness the healthy development of their child through news skills by reading together."

Alabama Multi-Specialty Group, P.C. has been serving the Greater Tuscaloosa and West Alabama communities for over 20 years. Dr. Verquita Scott-Conley, medical consultant for their Reach Out and Read program, has prescribed over 10,000 brand-new books to the children and their families during the last nine years.

Reach Out and Read-Alabama has positively impacted the practice by laying the foundation for success in school through early literacy for patients and their families. "It feels good to know that after most of the well-child exams, we have done our part in providing a book for a child. These early foundational language skills help start children on a path of success when they enter school. Helping parents understand the importance of reading daily with their children is our biggest challenge, but with over 10,000 messages in the last nine years, we have definitely made progress."